ABSTRACT
A year after Mario Monicelli's suicide, the death of another famous person in Italy, Lucio Magri, reawakened the Italian debate on social, ethical and juridical issues in end-of-life decisions. Unlike Monicelli, Lucio Magri decided to end his own life in Switzerland with the help of a physician because his mental illness rendered his life unbearable. Both Monicelli and Magri suffered from a severe depression. The authors analyze the ethical issues regarding the right to die for mentally ill patients and neurological disabled patients, discussing the decision-making autonomy in persons suffering from severe depression. The role of the psychiatry in the management of end-of-life decision requests is considered along with pros and cons of suicide prevention and rationale suicide.
Subject(s)
Mentally Ill Persons/legislation & jurisprudence , Suicide, Assisted/ethics , Suicide, Assisted/legislation & jurisprudence , Aged , Attitude of Health Personnel , Bipolar Disorder/psychology , Depression/psychology , Humans , Italy , Male , Medical Tourism/ethics , Medical Tourism/legislation & jurisprudence , Mentally Ill Persons/psychology , Public Opinion , Right to Die/ethics , Right to Die/legislation & jurisprudence , SwitzerlandABSTRACT
Over recent years the professional role of the radiologist has been evolved due to the increasing involvement in the clinical management of the patient. Radiologists have thus been increasingly charged by new duties and liabilities, exposing them to higher risks of legal claims made against them. Malpractice lawsuits in radiology are commonly related to inappropriate medical care or to the poor physician-patient relationship. In the present paper, we provide overview of the basic principles of the medical malpractice law and the main legal issues and causes of legal actions against diagnostic and interventional radiologists. We also address some issues to help radiologists to reduce risks and consequences of malpractice lawsuits. These include (1) following the standard of care to the best of their ability, (2) cautious use of off-label devices, (3) better communication skills among healthcare workers and with the patient, and (4) ensuring being covered by adequate malpractice insurance. Lastly, we described definitions of some medicolegal terms and concepts that are thought to be useful for radiologists to know.
ABSTRACT
The authors describe a case of bilateral carotid chemodectoma occurring in a military pilot who was assessed and evaluated in terms of aeromedical and medico-legal aspects for his fitness to fly. In view of the lack of specific guidelines and/or regulations, both national and international, we choose to follow a multidisciplinary clinical approach that included aero-physiological tests in the hypobaric chamber, in order to identify a standard protocol that could be used as reference for similar future cases, where this kind of assessment is necessary.
